Brave New Future
by Erik Howlett
Summary: Prelude to TT:GN. With the JLU stretched thin after Darkseid's death, the time has come to induct the Titans into the fold. However, they will have to survive a trial by fire first, and what is this prophesy Dr. Fate is talking about? I own nil. Rated T
1. The Winds of Change

Brave New Future.

By Erik Howlett.

Disclaimer: The Teen Titans and the heroes of the DC Animated Universe, such as the Justice League, belong to DC Comics and DC Entertainment. I do not claim any elements of DC Comics as my own, and am only writing this story as a leisurely past time and because I am a humble fan of this genre simply telling a story. Some of the Legionnaires featured here are a mixture of their comic-book and animated incarnations, hence the different pairings, codenames, costume designs, and so on. This story will be labeled "T"for teen, just to be safe, considering there will be swearing, blood, and intense action-violence, everything that makes T.V. great, am I right?

Long before Son Of The Metal, long before Agenda-X, long before Faith in Fallen Angels, this story was conceived. This idea has undergone a lot of changes over the years I've been considered posting it, things constantly being revised and retooled to make the experience all the more enjoyable for you, the reader, and myself, the writer. I say the latter because if you can't have fun writing fan fiction, then what point is there in writing it. Anyhow, to be frank, this idea has been about two, maybe three and a half years in the making. It's seen multiple overhauls and many delays, and that's just this part, the prelude to the main event!

For a setting, if you're interested in that sort of thing, this story takes place in the DC Animated Universe, just following the destruction of Darksied at the hands of both the Justice League and (surprisingly) Lex Luthor. With the members of the League spread far and wide to deal with the clean-up in the wake of the invasion's devastation, they find themselves stretched to their limits, and believe it is time to take on new members, both old and young, to ensure the safety of their world. Their first picks are the Teen Titans, who have grown since their foundation to become a formidable team on par with the League's original seven. However, their ascension into the ranks of the JLU marks the beginning of a new era prophesied by Dr. Fate himself. What is this prophesy you may ask? Well, that would be telling, wouldn't it? Read on to find out…!

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**Chapter 1: The Winds of Change.**

_Earth, Low Geocentric Orbit, 8:00 pm._

Space, mankind's final frontier. A vast and ongoing void of seemingly infinite blackness, dotted almost at random by a few fleeting twinkles of glittering stardust, massively diverse planets, and other wondrous heavenly bodies. Yet even in this, the very outer-most extension of humanity's existence, at the lingering edge of the all-encompassing darkness that holds entire galaxies captive in it's unforgiving, icy grip, a glimmering beacon of hope and strength shines in the rays of the distant, blazing sun. Like a mighty sword of truth and justice, it orbits the planet in silent observance, forever poised to strike down any and all offenders to its charges' peace with unrelenting wrath, whether they come from beyond the stars above or the ground below. This monumental, needle-like satellite serves as a little slice of Heaven for its tenants, an off-world sanctuary were the champions of Earth keep watch over the innocents below like an inspiring host of masked guardian angels.

For this huge structure is the first home of Earth's greatest heroes of all time. This is the Watchtower, space-born haven of the world-spanning Justice League.

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"Looks like everything's running pretty smoothly," remarked a pleased Mr. Terrific as he heard the sound of the pressurized automatic door behind him _whoosh _open, his advanced intellect analyzing to the unique sounds of each of the newcomers' footsteps and immediately recognizing them. Terrific cast a fleeing glance over his shoulder and grinned in satisfaction as he saw that his guess had been correct, and Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, and the Flash entered the Monitor Womb Platform behind him, the enigmatic Dr. Fate hovering silently alongside them. _'Damn, I love being a genius.' _Before the seven of them, a series of massive flatscreen monitors hung suspended in midair like giant picture frames, each displaying a different scenario that was occurring either on Earth or somewhere in the vast reaches of space.

"It would appear so," remarked J'onn calmly as he surveyed the League's progress on the monitors. The first showed a group consisting of a female Dr. Light, Green Lantern, S.T.R.I.P.E., Stargirl, and the Red Tornado lending a hand with the disaster-relief efforts in Sumatra in the aftermath of the recent monsoon. The next gave an unobscured window to the interior of the New Genesis High Council's meeting room, where the hot-blooded warrior Orion was mediating the planet's peace talks with Apokalips along with Mr. Miracle and his wife Barda. Beside that was the image of a seedy warf-front in Star City, where the Green Arrow, Black Canary, The Question, and Huntress were occupied with taking down a ring of smugglers who had been working out of the area for about two weeks before Question finally found them. The other monitors displayed similar heroic events, different Leaguers engaged in a varying number of tasks for the betterment of mankind and the universe as a whole.

"It's hard to believe that it's been three months since Darksied attacked Earth," remarked Wonder Woman in sincere approval of what she saw onscreen, earning an acceding nod from the others, especially Superman. When Darksied's forces abruptly blindsided Earth from out of nowhere just three months ago, their attempts to destroy the planet and drown the streets in blood nearly overwhelmed the League's efforts to stop them. Had it not been for the intervention of Luthor's Secret Society and the truly surprising self-sacrifice of Lex himself, the hordes of Apokalips might have succeeded in their endeavors. Now, as the dust settled in catastrophe's wake, things were finally beginning to return to normal.

"I'm still not convinced of anything just yet," responded Batman in his usual, emotionless monotone. Like Superman, he too had been there at ground-zero in Metropolis when Darksied had launched his assault, stood by as the Man of Steel unleashed his unbridled, righteous fury upon the dark 'god', and bore witness to both his and Lex Luthor's supposed demise. But, as with many of the League's old foes that they once thought dead and ended up returning from the grave, he wasn't about to let himself be caught off guard by a sudden 'resurrection' of either of the two if it ever occurred. The moment he saw hard physical evidence that they were truly dead, then he would allow himself to relax and be at ease. Until then, he would remain ever vigilant and watchful. "Everything's going too smoothly, like a calm breeze before a hurricane strikes."

"Jeez Bats," interrupted the Flash with a mocking sigh. "You need to learn to lighten up a little. Even if there was the slightest chance of Lex and ole' Gravel Puss ever comin' back, we've got more than enough members to put 'em down again."

"Actually Flash, that's not entirely true," interjected Mr. Terrific, absent-mindedly coordinating the League's efforts with barely a thought as he spoke. At that point, he knew that he had the attention of all six heroes standing behind him and felt their combined gaze of surprise and worry as he continued with his tedious work. "Even with the League's combined efforts, if Darksied was to reappear out of the blue right now, we'd be hard pressed to stop him. With the peace-talks on New Genesis, the disaster-relief efforts in Sumatra, the continuing clean-up from Apokalip's Invasion forces in almost every major country, and the never-ending laundry-list of regular crimes that need handling, we barely have enough members to keep up with it all. The League's just spread too thin right now to handle another invasion of that magnitude again."

"We may have grown a lot from it being just the seven of us, but I guess we still can't be everywhere at once," mused Superman introspectively as he considered the truth behind both Batman and Mr. Terrific's words. It was true that none of them believed that either Lex or Darkseid were really gone, and that the League still had some faults despite its exponential growth. After a moment of silent thought, J'onn finally voiced an idea that seemed to be on everyone's mind at the time.

"Perhaps we should consider searching for more members," the Martian pointed out calmly, drawing everyone's attention at that. "There are still many other heroes who have yet to be indicted into the League. It may be time we consider granting them membership."

As he looked at the faces of those present, J'onn could tell that they all knew he was right. In spite of their vast numbers, there were still others that had not been offered a position in the Justice League when they decided to expand their ranks following the aftermath of the Thanagarian Invasion several years ago. Initially, younger heroes such as Static and Gear were turned down due to their age and inexperience; but times had changed, and they had shown signs of maturing into valuable assets to the League. Older heroes such as the Doom Patrol, the Challengers of the Unknown, and the Sea Devils were also coming out of mothballs to try and do their part as well, not wanting the younger generation to have all the fun.

"Well, if we're gonna start talking about new members," Flash began hopefully, having suggested this idea many times before, "then how about the Ti-"

Before Flash could even attempt to finish his sentence, he was abruptly cut off by the raucous _Breeet-Breeeet! _of the Emergency Alert Siren, its activation startling everyone present and causing the lighting in the Platform and extended Teleportation Deck to bathe it's occupants in an eerie red glow. Immediately, Mr. Terrific's gloved fingers flew deftly across the multi-tasking control panel before him with almost lightning speed, intercepting the call that triggered the alert and cueing it up on one of the available monitors. As the screen flickered to life, the seven heroes gathered around to see the image of a dark, country road appear onscreen, several overturned police cars and battered prisoner-transport trucks splayed across the cold asphalt in the background. Before them, Steel stood panting heavily, as if he'd just been in the fight of his life, his battle armor scratched, charred, and blackened in several places and his helmet torn wide-open at one side to reveal a portion of his bald scalp beneath. Beside him stood the battered and bruised forms of Fire, Vixen, Hawkman, and the Creeper as well.

"Watchtower," coughed the beaten hero wearily as he struggled to keep on his feet, his war-hammer crooked under his arm like a massive steel crutch. "This is Steel calling in with a Priority Five Alert. The prisoner transport we were sanctioned to protect was just ambushed by Atomic Skull and Silver Banshee. We fought 'em off as long as we could, but Banshee's sonic scream managed to override my armor's circuits and immobilize most of its motor functions. After that, everything went downhill from there. They freed everyone in the trucks and took off, but not before pummeling us pretty good."

"Stay put Steel," replied Mr. Terrific calmly as his fingers continued their swift jaunt across the control panel, triangulating the man's COM-Link and reconfiguring the Teleporter to his team's location. "Prepare your team for an immediate Emergency Teleport, I'll have the Infirmary on stand by and begin tracking the escapees ASAP."

"Thanks Terrific," conceded the armored hero sincerely, wincing slightly as he shifted him weight on his hammer. "Steel out." With that, the image of Steel and his beaten teammates flicked out of existence and a sub-space camera shot of the transport convoy's route cued up in its place. Off to the side, a photo-listing of the transport's occupants scrolled along the length of the screen diagonally, and all of them were immediately recognized by everyone present as some of the worst super villains the League had faced.

"This is not good," concluded the patron of Fair Play grimly as he took in the information like a sponge would water, still working on figuring the enemy's position as he spoke to the Leaguers behind him. "That convoy was transporting a number of high threat level super-criminals to the recently established correctional facility on Alcatraz, including Deadshot, Metallo, and Killer-Frost. Luckily for us, CADMUS made sure they were all issued a mandatory injection of microscopic nanites which emit a special signal that can be tracked by the Watchtower's mainframe and the Military's computers in Washington. If I'm right, they'll all head on a direct path for a city on the coastline, most likely to hijack a freighter to Zandia where the League and the U.S. government can't legally touch them."

"Metallo's LexCorp cybernetics will analyze any maps of the surrounding area he's recently uploaded into his brain, and immediately pick out the most likely spot to disembark from on the coast," reasoned Batman stoically as he briskly approached the console. "Knowing 'Frost and the others, they'll probably want to stretch their legs and have some 'fun' after being cooped up in those transports for so long. Pinpoint the most heavily-populated city nearest their last location that has a large amount of ships headed out to sea."

"Already workin' on it Bats," replied Terrific nonchalantly, much to the annoyance of the Dark Knight. Once more, Mr. Terrific's dexterous digits lighted across the complex keyboard of the control panel, while high over head the massive flatscreen responded to his whims, zooming in on the displayed map and registering the villains' eventual destination. It popped up only seconds later in the form of a minute, red dot on the edge of California and the Pacific Ocean, beside it appeared a small text box that revealed the city's statistics and exact distance from the escapees' last coordinates. "Got it. They're heading for a place called Jump City. Population is about that of Chicago, and there are several ships in the harbor scheduled for departure to exotic locales such as Japan and Africa. All plenty of reasons for our truant friends to stop by and relieve some pent up stress."

_'Jump City?'_ reeled the Flash in shocked concern, vivid memories of his days as Kid Flash rushing back to him upon hearing that name. To his right, he noticed a similar look of familiarity dart across Batman's face for a brief second, betraying the fact that he too recognized the villains' ultimate destination as well. Behind the rest of the stunned heroes, Dr. Fate sat hovering calmly in midair, resting in the lotus position as he silently called upon the ancient and incredible powers of the Helmet of Nabu to reach his wife telepathically in Salem, Massachusetts.

_'Inza, my love,'_ he said calmly as the remainder of the founding Leaguer's gathered around Terrific's console in concern, hanging onto every word that the genius had said as Fate when about his own work. _'Please prepare my chambers with the proper ingredients for executing the Rite of Endless Council. The time Lord Dream spoke of is finally at hand, and we must make haste so that we are ready to begin.'_

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AN: Holy Moley, True Believers! Things are really starting to heat up for the League! Now that they know where these villains are headed, how are they gonna head them off before they escape to Zandia? Moreover, will they be the ones to bust them, or will the Titans take them down? What the heck are you asking me for? Read on to find out :D !


	2. Graduation Day

Brave New Future.

By Erik Howlett.

Disclaimer: The Teen Titans and the heroes of the DC Animated Universe, such as the Justice League, belong to DC Comics and DC Entertainment. I do not claim any elements of DC Comics as my own, and am only writing this story as a leisurely past time and because I am a humble fan of this genre simply telling a story. Some of the Legionnaires featured here are a mixture of their comic-book and animated incarnations, hence the different pairings, codenames, costume designs, and so on. This story will be labeled "T"for teen, just to be safe, considering there will be swearing, blood, and intense action-violence, everything that makes T.V. great, am I right? Well, enough talk, time for some JLU/Titan action! Bad-guys beware!

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**Chapter 2: Graduation Day.**

"How soon can the Teleporters be clear for another transport?" questioned the Dark Knight with an imperative calm in his voice, despite the havoc that was sure to be taking place far below them even as he spoke.

"As soon as Steel's team arrives and they're taken to the Infirmary," replied Mr. Terrific factually as his fingers continued to fly across the keyboard tirelessly. Milliseconds passed by sluggishly, almost painfully. Then, a brief flicker of light blue energy snapped into being above the Teleportation Pad below the observation deck, vanishing as quickly as it had come to reveal the tired, wounded forms of Steel and his battered teammates. A small number of the Watchtower's volunteer personnel immediately rushed in to tend to the fallen heroes' injuries as best they could, the Creeper's being the most serious as his arms had suffered massive radiation burns from attempting to help restrain the Atomic Skull. The medical staff arrived about two seconds later with a set of stretchers and loaded up the heroes to be taken to the sanctity of the Infirmary.

As soon as the bay was clear, Terrific went back to work on triangulating the location for the next 'port to Jump City. But, just as he was about to confirm the coordinates, one of the bright red indicators for the emergency transmissions frequency monitor lit up. "Hold it; something's coming in on one of the private broadband channels. It's being patched through via one of Wayne Enterprise's satellite arrays."

"On-screen," intoned Batman in his usual monotone, as if to disguise his irritation with all that was going on. Nodding compliantly, Terrific tapped the receiver button and a new image keyed up on the screen opposite that which once held the visage of Steel's defeat. This one, however, was much different.

The screen displayed what looked like the interior of a high-tech fighter jet, the dark canopy eerily lit up by the green glow of many flickering diodes and luminescent displays that patterned across its unique control panel. Piloting the craft was a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. He had long black hair that hung down past his shoulders like a stream of darkness, his eyes hidden by an ebony domino mask, yet he was clearly focused on the task before him, radiating an unshakeable confidence. The rest of his body appeared to be garbed in a living shadow, his uniform entirely black save for the gunmetal utility belt around his waist, metallic bracers encircling his wrists and ankles, and the bright blue raptor that spread across his chest, its great wings flared out as if it could take flight at any moment. Batman and Flash both recognized him in an instant, in spite of his dark appearance. His name was Richard "Dick" Grayson, once Bruce's ward and sidekick, Robin. However, the two had a bit of a falling out a while back and he left his mentor soon after, only to resurface a few years later as Nightwing, the protector of Bludhaven.

"Nightwing," said the Dark Knight stoically as he stared hard at his ex-apprentice, long-lost memories of the days before he left Gotham flooding back to him. So many things left unsaid, so many missions better to be forgotten, especially their last encounter before he walked out of the Bat-Cave forever. "Now's not the time for catching up. There's-"

"I know, Barbara filled me in a couple of minutes ago," interjected the ex-Robin with blatant indifference, rudely cutting off his mentor. The interruption caused an old feeling of impatience to boil up again in Batman's gut, forcing him to tighten his fists as he fought to keep a level head. Even back then, Dick was still a stubborn kid, and that trait seemed to have grown stronger as the years wore on. "Look, this isn't a courtesy call Bruce," continued Nightwing seriously as the low resonating _hum_ of his jet's engines echoed in the background. "We don't need your help with this. I've already looked over the role-call for those transports and none of them are anything special. They're just a bunch of hotshots with bruised egos to nurse, nothing my team can't handle."

"Dick, you don't understand," began Batman angrily, his legendary emotionless expression now becoming tinged with hint irritation before his apprentice cut him off once more, giving him no time to attempt to berate him for his impudent behavior.

"Save it for someone who cares, Bruce," snapped Nightwing spitefully, surprising all who were present. "Like you said, now's not the time for arguing. There are people in danger, and whoever takes them down doesn't matter so long as it gets done."

"Dick," Batman tried to say again, wanting to keep his ex-apprentice out of what was going on by any means necessary. Still, the younger vigilante would have none of it.

"This isn't up for discussion, Bruce," argued Nightwing in annoyance, his masked, white eyes narrowing dangerously at his former mentor. "I don't want to see anyone from the Justice League down there. Jump City is Titans territory and your little friends will be learning that lesson the hard way soon enough. Nightwing out."

And with that, Dick Grayson abruptly cut the feed to the Watchtower and the screen snapped back to its usual black, leaving the rest of the heroes present staring warily at Batman, as if they expected him to suddenly erupt in anger. Never before had they seen someone talk to the Dark Knight with such indifference and disrespect like that. It was simply unheard of! However, Batman was oddly silent for a moment, looking back on the good times he had been through with Dick and reflecting on what his former sidekick had just said to him so... commandingly. Was that really the punk kid that had walked away from the Batcave all those years ago? He seemed so sure of himself, so confident. Like he was really a leader instead of a follower, something he'd felt he would always be unless he left Gotham, and got out of the Batman's shadow for once. Could he really have changed so much in all the years they'd been apart? After what seemed like forever, he spoke up.

"Well?" he sighed calmly as he shot a sharp glance over his shoulder at the Flash, his usual brooding demeanor having finally returned. "Are you going or what?" Now, this surprised everyone, especially the Flash, who soon felt the eyes of all those present staring at him with immense curiosity and wonder.

"What?" questioned the Scarlet Speedster in stunned confusion. Since when did Batman ever defer to him like that all of a sudden? Shaking his head in an attempt to try and make sense of the Dark Knight's actions, Flash gestured towards the now blank flatscreen as if to make a point of what had just occurred. "Didn't you hear what he just said? He doesn't want-"

"I heard him perfectly, Wally," shot the detective impatiently, his tone of voice becoming a bit less harsh than before as he turned to face the young hero. "He doesn't want any of the _League_ barging in. Wally, you once told me that if they needed you for anything, you were a Titan first and above all else. Well, that's your team down there. The next move is up to you."

Flash was silent for a long time, still surprised that Batman had given him the option of leaving, even when it was clear that he was sincerely opposed of what Nightwing was doing to handle the situation. Forgetting his loyalty to the League for a moment, Wally began to look back on all that he'd gone through in his career as an inheritor to the legacy of the Flash, from the day he joined the Titans and even all the way back to the day that he first met Barry Allen, the last Flash. He remembered what Barry had told him long ago, that being a true hero didn't come from how much power you had or how much praise you get from the people. It came from doing what you knew was right and standing by your friends. If he'd learned nothing else from Barry, that lesson was on that he'd never forget. In that moment, Wally made his decision.

_'Thanks Barry, for everything,'_ smiled the Flash silently as he became little more than a vibrating blur of scarlet and gold, zipping past his costumed colleagues as he bolted for the door and the Teleporter Deck beyond.

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**Titans Tower, Jump City Harbor...**

"... He's late," observed Raven in her usual monotone as she took a moment from her reading to look out over the brilliantly decorated interior of the Titan's living room. She and the other five Titans had spent a majority of that day decorating the Tower with a wide array of brightly colored streamers, balloons, confetti, and celebratory banners as they prepared to celebrate Dick's 23rd birthday. Sighing quietly to herself, she turned her attention back to the pages of the latest novel she had been attacking for the past few hours, Lian Hearn's _Across the Nightingale Floor_, the first in her _Tales of the Otori_ series_._

Looking at her now, one would never have pegged her for the dark, brooding Goth she had once been years ago. Now at the ripe age of 20, she had matured well beyond her years, both physically and mentally, leaving her doom-and-gloom attitude aside for the most part. Her costume had also changed to match her new age as well. In place of her old one-piece leotard was an elegant dress of deep blue, complimenting the thigh boots, opera gloves, and hooded cloak that shared its shade. In some strange way, the darkly exotic outfit only served to enhance her own natural beauty.

"Well, maybe he got a call from Bruce after hanging up with us or something," suggested Garfield Logan optimistically as he swung down from the ceiling, landing with the soft grace and agility of the green gorilla he had been only moments ago. Like with the rest of the Titans, time had caught up with Beast-Boy as well, maturing the once wisecracking jester into a formidable hero. Like Raven and the others, he had turned in his old Doom Patrol uniform for a more modern outfit. His new costume consisted of a purple Kevlar T-shirt with a white "T" on the chest and shoulders, as well as a black belt, purple tights, and dark armored boots. He had also coined a new name to fit his appearance: the Changeling. And the 19-year-old figured it fit him well.

"You're probably right Gar," reasoned Cyborg calmly as he finished plugging his new Xbox 360 into the Tower's massive monitor, already going over the games he'd wanted to play on it that evening once the guest of honor arrived. "Bird-boy'll be here when he gets here, Rae. Just give him time." Turning his attention back the Tower's computer, Victor Stone caught a quick glimpse of his green-skinned pal sidling up to his girlfriend, then plopping down on the couch beside her to read over her shoulder as she smirked at him coyly.

Gar and Raven had been dating for about three years now, and the rest of the team did their best to show their approval, just as they had when Dick and Starfire announced they were getting engaged soon. Victor smiled inside as he thought about his own relationship he had with his girlfriend Sarah back home. Of all the Titans, Vic had been the one that had changed the least, his cybernetics getting few upgrades here-and-there, yet hardly ever changing his overall appearance. One good thing about being a cyborg, you always looked your best, even if you where in your mid-20's.

"I agree with Victor," added the regal voice of Koriand'r from her place behind the kitchen addition's counter. "Richard will be here soon, I know it." That being said, she turned from her teammates and directed her attention back to the scrumptious birthday cake she had been skillfully icing, her knee-length hair swirling around her like a crimson river of fire as she did so.

Unlike when she had first joined the Titans, Princess Koriand'r had moved on from strictly serving her teammates Tameranian mystery-meat, and had learned to craft cuisines from all over the Earth with the skill of a seasoned chef. Of course she had always had a willing test-subject in her fiancé, Nightwing. Starfire smiled in spite of herself as she thought of her love. As the years had gone by and the love had grown stronger, Koriand'r found herself maturing into what many people saw as a goddess among women, which only served to further her career as a model under her recently assumed alias, Kory Anders. Her old mini-skirt and halter-top also fell away with her teenage years, the 23-year-old now garbing herself in durable Tameranian armor. Though covered up by an apron at the moment, she wore a metallic one-piece ensemble that divided into two strips as it traveled up her curvaceous form to the collar around her neck, making it look as though she were wearing some sort of alien swimsuit, while matching her armored thigh-boots and sturdy wrist-bracers.

"Well, speak of the devil," chuckled Cyborg good-naturedly as his systems picked up an incoming transmission from Nightwing's stealth-jet. Shutting his eyes for a moment as he synced up with the Tower's mainframe, he effortlessly patched the call through the system, cueing it up on the monitor in seconds. The screen quickly flickered to life, revealing a very serious Nightwing behind the controls. Immediately, something in his old friend's eyes told Victor that something was definitely wrong. "Yo man, you're runnin' late for your own party. Anything we need to know about?"

"As sharp as ever, Vic," remarked the stoic Nightwing good-naturedly as the rest of the Titans gathered around the monitor to see what he had to say. A look of regret came to Dick's eyes as he took a deep breath, knowing what he had to say was about to ruin the festive mood that went along with his special day. "Sorry to say it guys, but we're gonna have to hold off of the party for a few minutes. We've got trouble."

"Aw, man!" cried Gar in frustration, pulling at his hair for comedic effect. "Can't we catch a break for at least one day? I mean, it's your birthday, dude! Why does everything bad have to happen, just when things are going good?"

"That's the irony of karma for you," remarked Raven teasingly as she gently placed her hand on her boyfriend's shoulder, earning a pleased smile from the emerald shapeshifter.

"So, what's the situation, Dick?" asked Cyborg curiously, wondering what they would be up against this time. During the past few years, as the team began to grow, their enemies had also become more serious as well. Just in the last few weeks, they'd had their hands full battling a new group of villains that claimed to work for Brother Blood. Blood had left the H.I.V.E. shortly after Cyborg had defeated him in Steel City, and had founded a cult whose goal was to resurrect Raven's father, Trigon, calling themselves the Church of Blood. Luckily, they had managed to quell most of their endeavors in Jump City, but they had no idea when they would strike next.

"Nothing like we've dealt with in the past, Vic," conceded Nightwing truthfully, his left hand moving off-screen for a moment as he transmitted the data on the escaped villains to Cyborg's systems in the Tower. Immediately, a role-call of the villains appeared onscreen horizontally beside is image. As soon as they saw who was listed, the Titans held their breath in shock and concern. "A few minutes ago, a prison transport full of high threat-level metahumans bound for the new penitentiary on Alcatraz was ambushed by both the Atomic Skull and the Silver Banshee. The League members who were assigned as escorts were promptly thrashed and the prisoners freed. Barbara called in and told me that the League had projected their escape-route would be headed directly through the city. We've got to stop them from reaching the harbor at any costs."

"Richard, why the harbor?" asked Starfire skeptically, curious as to these villain's behavior. "If they were attempting to escape the Justice League, then why barricade themselves with their backs to the sea? Only one of them is capable of flight as far as we know."

"That's just it Kory, they're planning on hijacking a ship and heading to Zandia, so they can finally be rid of the League and be free to do as they please," said Dick darkly as he looked over his friends with a steely gaze. Already, he could tell that some of them were becoming a little nervous about facing these villains, and honestly, he couldn't blame them at all. Even he felt small when faced with the reality of taking on foes that took both Superman _and_ Batman to bring down. Still, he was their leader, and now wasn't the time to lose confidence. They needed him strong if they were going to do this. "Look, I know you guys are nervous about fighting these morons, but I also know we can do this. We've faced tougher jerks than them before, and we always came out on top. So what if they're League-class villains? We can still beat 'em just the same."

As the ex-Robin spoke, the Titans somehow felt reassured by his confidence in them. Out of all of them, Dick was the only one without special powers, yet he never let that stop him from fighting the good fight. No matter what the danger, no matter what the risk, he always faced it head-on without any show of fear or doubt. He had been beaten, battered, bruised, and bloodied by some of the strongest supervillains out there, yet he still kept on fighting for what he believed in. And right now, as he always had, he believed in his friends. After a moment of silence, it was Koriand'r who finally spoke up.

"Richard is right," she agreed whole-heartedly, her warrior's pride welling up inside of her as she spoke. "We have always triumphed over our enemies in the past, and these clods will be no different. So what if they are considered to be on par with the Justice League? They will still lose when all is said and done. I say we fight!"

"You know, I was just about to say that," joked Gar humorously as he stepped up to his teammate's side, a determined look in his eyes as he spoke, "just not in the same way Star said it."

"Sure you were, ya little grass-stain," laughed Cyborg as he slapped his friend on the back jovially and took his place at the computer console beneath the monitor's screen. As he sat down in the leather-cushioned chair, a small uplink cable snaked out from a panel in his right forearm and plugged into the data-port on the side of the CPU, his brain immediately connecting to the Tower's mainframe, interfacing with the city's emergency broadcast network. At the same time, Raven had settled into the lotus position behind Changeling and Starfire, her violet eyes quickly glazing over with white-hot, mystic energy as she began to focus her mind on the same task that Cyborg was: finding their enemies.

"Got it," called Cyborg victoriously as he stood up from the computer, uplink cable detaching itself from the data-port and retracting into his arm. "They're on Main Street, heading straight towards downtown. Emergency crews have already shown up to take care of a few minor injuries, but so far, no one's been-" No sooner had those words left his lips than a massive flash of light erupted outside the window from somewhere in the city. Seconds later, a billowing cloud of smoke and ash was rising through the air. Apparently, Nightwing had seen it as well, because he immediately grit his teeth in anger and rage at the sight of such destruction.

"How soon can the T-Ship be ready for launch?" probed the dark vigilante grimly, the lenses of his mask gleaming with malice in the pale light of his jet's cockpit.

"Five minutes tops," said Cyborg matter-of-factually as he stared out the Tower's huge window in disbelief. '_They've only been here for fifteen minutes and already there's a fire going.' _

"Alright then, I guess there's no time to sit around and talk about it now," reasoned Nightwing, his fingers working swiftly to enable the jet's engines to maximum output. "We need to stop these guys before anyone gets hurt. My E.T.A. is five minutes, so I'll meet you guys there." Each of them nodding in silent understanding, the Titans anxiously awaited what they all knew Nightwing was about to say, a subtle grin coming to their faces. Raven and Starefire began to slowly rise into the air, as if gravity itself were under the sway of their feminine charms; Cyborg's bionic right eye came to life and lit up an eerie crimson; Changeling's form blurred slightly for a moment, bones and muscle-tissue shifting and changing rapidly until a snarling, green cheetah stood in his place, its tail twitching back and forth in anticipation for what came next.

"Titans, Go!"

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**Jump City, Downtown...**

_'Whew,'_ thought the Flash wearily as he sped towards the heart of Jump City, a blur of crimson and gold as the world around him seemed to move in slow motion. _'No matter how many times I get into that thing, it always makes me feel queasy afterwards.'_ Ever since the League had expanded following the aftermath of the Thanagarian Invasion, he had used the Teleportation Pad hundreds of times before this particular jump. Still, it never ceased to amaze him how the slight feeling of nausea stayed with him even after his accelerated metabolism had dealt with the real thing. But for the moment, he pushed that though out of his mind as he raced towards his destination.

Nearing closer to his quarry, he noticed that the sheer amount of property damage became more and more severe. Fires had broken out, cars overturned and crushed, people frozen in massive blocks of ice with terror etched on their faces as they had attempted to flee, and scorch marks from direct-energy attacks burnt into the pavement and buildings. More than once he passed by an ambulance that had pulled over to help an innocent bystander who had been caught in the crossfire and wounded, the sight only serving to remind him of the severity of his task. It was then that he spotted the six escapees, the villains quickly getting larger as he closed the gap between them.

Hovering in the air high above her comrades, cutting a swath through the brave S.W.A.T. team that blocked their path with her sonic shriek was the white-haired siren, Silver Banshee. The second the dark sound hit their ears, the men immediately dropped to the ground in pain as the magic behind her deadly song slowly began to age them into dust. Laughing manically at the sight as she surfed by on a wave of ice was the cold-hearted Killer Frost, who began to pick off any of those lucky enough to escape the siren's song and flash-freeze them where they stood. Below the two women, the towering Atomic Skull strode past the cowering policemen with his head immersed in atomic fire, totally immune to Banshee's scream due to his lack of ears. With a single hand, he hefted one of the police paddy wagons that barred his way and then unceremoniously tossed it into the air, setting ablaze mid-flight with a quick burst of his radioactive breath. Behind him, Deadshot, Cheetah, and Metallo walked calmly through the chaos around them, like they didn't have a care in the world.

"While I should remind you ladies that we are on a tight schedule," intoned Metallo coldly towards his two airborne compatriots, "I will admit that this little detour is proving to be very enjoyable indeed."

"You can say that again Metal-head," remarked Frost cheerily as she blasted another policeman with a bolt of ice, rendering him unto the cold. "I can't remember the last time I ever had this much fun in the big city."

"Yeah," agreed Deadshot calmly through his mask's synthesizer, his voice slightly distorted by the device, "and the best part is, none of the League has shown up to spoil our fun yet."

At that moment, Flash had closed the distance between them and decided to give his arrival on the scene a little pizzazz. Speeding towards the marksman with all his might, the Scarlet Speedster drew back his right hand and clenched it tightly into a fist. "Lucy, I'm home!" he shouted tauntingly as he delivered a brain-rattling right-hook to the side of Deadshot's head, sending the man reeling backwards from the force of the blow. Seeing as he usually saved his hyper-speed blows for more durable adversaries, Wally had held back on the punch ever-so-slightly, in order not to kill Deadshot out right. Once the hit landed, Flash sped past the astonished villains, looping around them in a lazy circle as little more than a blur of red and gold that everyone present knew all too well.

"The Flash?" exclaimed Metallo in surprise, not expecting anyone from the League to react to their escape this soon. _'This is... unacceptable.'_ Glaring at the speedster with his cybernetic gaze, the villain silently signaled to Atomic Skull with a slight nod of his head.

Recognizing the cyborg's intent, the flame-headed man drew in a great breath of air, then belched it back out at the hero as a searing green blast of radioactive fire. Noticing the blast out of the corner of his eye, Wally stretched out his arm as he ran and spun it with incredible speed, generating a miniature cyclone which he used to disperse the behemoth's breath. Knowing that the giant was his first obstacle, Flash ran at Atomic Skull full throttle, sliding to the ground at the last second to knock the man's feet out from under him. Skidding to a stop beside of one of the S.W.A.T. team's vans, the Scarlet Speedster lashed out and took hold of the winch hook on the front-bumper.

"Looks like someone needs to learn some manners," quipped Wally with a smile as he shot towards the recovering mutant in a streak of crimson. Latching the hook onto a short length of the cable, Flash twirled his makeshift lasso high over his head as he let it fly, catching Skull dead in the mouth as he readied another burst of flame. Atomic Skull gave a muffled cry as he started to raise his hands in an attempt to remove the binding that found itself in his mouth, only to find his arms secured at his sides by the winch-cable as the Flash continued to loop around him. When the hero finally slowed to a stop in front of the villain, he had collapsed to the ground as a result of his legs being tied up and was shouting some incoherent threat in the speedster's direction. "Had enough yet?" asked Flash sternly,

His answer came a fraction of a second later... in the form of his feet being frozen to the ground by Killer Frost, who'd recovered from the shock of his arrival quick enough to snap off a blast of arctic cold. "Not even close, Speedy," smirked the frosty villainess arrogantly from her perch atop her ice-slide as she moved it around to grin smugly in his face, a hand coated in chilling energy leveled at his chest. While she taunted the incapacitated Flash, Atomic Skull began to melt through the cable that held him captive while Cheetah quickly helped the rattled Deadshot to his feet, the man's head still pounding from the force of the speedster's punch. Rubbing his jaw painfully, the mercenary narrowed his eyes at the Flash, priming his wrist-mounted machine gun in a murderous rage.

"If this clown is here, that means the League can't be too far off," reasoned Metallo in concern, not wanting to run into more trouble before they reached the ocean. As much as he would've loved to mix it up with Superman, now just wasn't the time for such pleasantries. Killing the big, blue, boy-scout would have to wait... for now. Spotting an angry Deadshot taking aim out of the corner of his eye, the cyborg supervillain decided maybe it was better to ensure that the speedster was out of their hair before taking off. "Make sure he doesn't follow us, then let's get going. We've wasted enough time as is."

"Gladly," snarled the gunman darkly as he leveled his weapon at Wally, malice dripping from the word. Seeing the firearm aimed directly at his head, Flash's eyes widened at the realization that they weren't kidding around. And, at this range, he wasn't sure if he could free himself fast enough to get out of the way. Sensing the hero's desperation, Deadshot grinned sadistically beneath his mask as he spoke. "Bang. You're dead."

Then, just as the gun's computer registered his mental command, a spiraling black object came hurtling out of the night sky and imbedded itself deep into the side of the device. The impact of the spinning blade bit into his arm with enough force to sever a number of key wires in the gauntlet's circuitry, releasing a significant amount of voltage that coursed up Deadshot's arm and caused him to howl in pain. "Aaarrrrrggh!"

"What the Hell?" roared Cheetah in surprise as she watched her comrade desperately grope at his arm in an attempt to remove his damaged weapon. However, when none of her teammate's registered her outburst, she turned back to see they were all staring at the building behind her, one that Atomic Skull had lit ablaze before the police and Flash had arrived. Following their gaze, she lifted her head to see three figures standing at the top of the building with two very female silhouettes hovering in the air above them, spectacularly outlined by the bright glow of the roaring flames against the smoke-filled sky.

"Since you're all new in town, we'll give you some 'friendly' advice," glowered Nightwing darkly, narrowing his eyes at the villains, the lenses of his mask little more than slits of white as he glared daggers at them. "Get, out. _Now_."

His ebony black bodysuit melded into the night itself, making him seem like an insidious demon. If not for his flowing mane, the blue raptor on his chest, and the nonexistent cape, the villains present found little that could separate Nightwing from the Dark Knight who'd trained him. His right hand held a gleaming onyx Birdarang, poised to fly at a moment's notice, and in his left he brandished his telescoping bo-staff, wielded with the grace of a cunning warrior. At either side, the other Titans readied themselves for combat. Starfire's eyes glowed bright green with inhuman power, her hands haloed with a crackling alien energy; Changeling growled in irritation as his body began to grow and shift, taking on the form of a powerful, green panther; Cyborg's right arm sparked to life, swiftly reconfiguring itself into his signature Sonic Cannon; Raven began to chant her ancient mantra, a black phoenix of psychic power manifesting itself behind her as she hovered in midair.

The villains watched all of this unfold with disbelieving eyes, even Flash was surprised to see them and how much they had changed over the years. When they agreed to follow through with this plan, none of the supervillains had ever planned on anything like this happening. Then much to their surprise, Metallo, who had watched the Titan's arrival silently, threw back his head and began to laugh maniacally.

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" chortled Metallo jovially. "What's this? Is the League really so shorthanded that they'd resort to sending in this blathering clown to stop us, only to leave the rest up to this pathetic gaggle of second-string sidekicks?" Having had his laugh, Metallo then assumed a more serious demeanor, his eyes hardening at the Titans as his cybernetics kicked in to slowly open his chest cavity and reveal a pulsating sliver of green light that radiated from his Kryptonite heart, his comrades taking up a similar stance alongside him. "Don't kid yourself, Junior," he growled at Nightwing menacingly. "You don't stand a chance against us, with or without your speedy little friend here."

"Why don't we put that theory to the test then, Chrome-dome?" seethed Nightwing with equal wrath as he tucked his staff tightly against his side, ready to attack. Taking one last look at the cyborg, the black clad hero suddenly leapt down from the high ledge, descending upon the villains below. "But first, why don't we even the odds a bit!" Slowing his descent by leaping from ledge to ledge, Nightwing waited until he was two floors from the ground, then back flipped off the brick wall of the building and loosed a volley of concussive Birdarangs at the waiting villains, scattering them in all directions as they exploded. However, this was just the reaction Dick had anticipated. All but one of the projectiles missed their mark, the one _thermal_ Birdarang imbedding itself in the block of ice that encased the Flash's feet, melting it within seconds.

"NO!" cried Metallo in enraged surprise, his cybernetic eye surging with malice as he opened his chest cavity to reveal the massive chunk of sickly green Kryptonite within. "Die, brat!" With one finally shout of rage, Metallo shot a huge beam of Kryptonite radiation from his "heart" directly at Nightwing. The blast impacted where he'd once stood, sending a voluminous column of smoke and debris into the air. For a moment, the villains thought their leader had destroyed the Titan. Unfortunately, their celebration was short lived, for as the smoke cleared, the recovering figure of Nightwing could clearly be seen, the Flash standing beside him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Whew!" sighed Wally in relief, shaking his feet a couple of times to warm them up a bit. "That was a bit too close." Satisfied that he had some feeling back in them, he turned back to Dick and gave him a cheerful smile, as though nothing had happened. "Sorry I didn't get there sooner. For some reason, I kinda got _cold feet_ for a second there."

Not in the mood for jokes at the moment, Nightwing got to his feet and brought his staff to bear, spinning it high above his head for a minute before snapping it out in front of him as he assumed a stable combat stance reminiscent to that of a Shaolin monk. "What're you doing here, Wally?" queried the former Robin in a hushed tone, an irritated gleam in his eyes behind his domino mask. "I thought I'd told him-"

"Yeah, I know, 'no Leaguers'," interjected the Scarlet Speedster swiftly, a firm tone in his voice as he spoke, a determined look on his face. "However, I told Bats back when I joined the League that if anything like this ever happened, I was a Titan first above all else. Besides, I wasn't about to let you guys have all the fun without me."

"Heh," chuckled Nightwing as he stared down the villains before him, memories of the old days flooding back too him. _'Same old Wally.'_ Just then, a slight noise echoed in his highly trained ears: the distinctive _crunch_ of two large objects plummeting to the ground with incredible force, followed by a slight_ swish_ of a gentle wind. It didn't take a psychic to figure out that the other Titans were gathering around them for battle. "You know, I kinda missed this. You know, fighting together like in the old days."

"Hey, if you're up for it, then there's a spot in the League open for you guys," offered Wally with a grin, his eyebrows waggling suggestively beneath his mask as he spoke. "Heck, after this all blows over, why don't you consider joining the team?"

"... Tempting offer," smirked Nightwing as he shifted his attention back to the task at hand, making a note to remember to think over Wally's proposition later. "I'll have to talk it over with the guys. But, why don't we focus on the six majorly pissed off super-villains about to try and throttle us right now?"

"Don't you _dare_ turn your backs on me!" roared Metallo in a murderous rage, priming another burst from his chest cavity as he howled at the young heroes menacingly. "I'll burn you to dust!" Sensing the tension of his compatriots beside him, the villainous cyborg shot them each a blistering gaze, one that would've been enough to send any sane man running in fear. "What are you waiting for, you pathetic dolts? Kill them all!"

Unnerved by the man's ominous rage for a moment, the villains could only look at one another in hesitant befuddlement. They had been defeated many times at the hands of the League, and had spent more time in prison than they'd care to remember. In spite of the reputation of the young heroes before them, they finally came to an agreement: they weren't going back to prison again, even if it meant killing these heroes to avoid that. Zandia was their last chance to be free of the League, and they weren't about to let a group of second-rate sidekicks screw it up for them now. With this as their catalyst, they rushed forward as one, each marshaling their own devastating attacks as they ran.

"Uh-Oh," Flash taunted in mock worry as he surveyed the oncoming wave of villains, Metallo leading the charge. Even though he had faith in the Titans, he knew this was gonna be tough and assumed a combat stance as they came. Silencing his mind for a moment, he felt his body instinctively charge itself with the mysterious energy he had learned to tap following the defeat of the Lex/Brainiac creature: The Speed Force. "I think we hurt their feelings," he said to Nightwing as tiny archs of blue electrical energy began to snap in and out of existence across his crimson-garbed frame.

"Remind me to send them an apology card when they can eat solid food again," replied the vigilante with a smirk, readying his bo-staff with a quick, dramatic spin. Behind him, each of the Titans assumed their own combat positions as they picked out their targets, ready to strike at the drop of a hat. "Hey, about that offer," he said nonchalantly, taking his mind off the battle for a moment. "Why don't we just call this our 'final exam', and see how it all works out?"

"Sure, why not," grinned the Flash with nostalgic anticipation. He knew what was coming next, something he'd missed hearing for a while now. "Well? Are you gonna to say it or what?"

Smiling at Wally's eager attitude, Nightwing relaxed his stance and stood to his full height. At that moment, he felt as though the world around him could be seen with speed lines rushing by, haloing his team in their radiance as though they were in one of those anime cartoons he used to watch as a kid. With renewed vigor, he thrust his staff high into the air, a triumphant look on his face as the battle-cry leapt from his lips.

"Titans, Together!"

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AN: Here we go, True Believers! The kids are doing it right! Now that the Titans have joined the fray alongside former Titan, Flash, we've got a real fight on our hands! Will our heroes be able to bring in these supervillains and prove their mettle to the League in the aftermath? Read on the find out more :D !


	3. Growing Up

Brave New Future.

By Erik Howlett.

Disclaimer: The Teen Titans and the heroes of the DC Animated Universe, such as the Justice League, belong to DC Comics and DC Entertainment. I do not claim any elements of DC Comics as my own, and am only writing this story as a leisurely past time and because I am a humble fan of this genre simply telling a story. Some of the Legionnaires featured here are a mixture of their comic-book and animated incarnations, hence the different pairings, codenames, costume designs, and so on. This story will be labeled "T"for teen, just to be safe, considering there will be swearing, blood, and intense action-violence, everything that makes T.V. great, am I right?

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**Chapter 3: Growing Up.**

"Pick your targets carefully!" shouted Nightwing authoritatively as he sprinted beside his teammates towards the oncoming villains, low to the ground as he tactfully picked out the best possible way to attack his intended foe. At either side, the Titans nodding in silent understanding, breaking formation at the last second to engage the rogue villains.

Each of them worked as he'd predicted. Starfire shot through the air towards Atomic Skull, banking this way and that to avoid the gouts of nuclear flame he belched in her direction; Changeling's peregrine form flew high into the air for a moment, only to shift into his Tyrannosaur form and come crashing down on the spot where Cheetah once stood, the villainess wisely dodging the attack; Raven's Soul-self pursued Silver Banshee into the sky, taking care to steer clear of the news-copters that had just arrived; Cyborg skidded to a stop by a parked car, taking little time and effort in hefting it over his head before launching at Metallo; and Flash ran full tilt towards Killer Frost's ice-bridge, side-stepping every now and then to get clear of the icicles and freeze beams she sent his way.

"Guess that leaves you and me, Junior," goaded Deadshot menacingly as he tore his wrist-mounted gun from his costume, dramatically producing a pair of Berettas from the holsters on his belt and twirling them on his index fingers like a gunslinger in Dodge City. Having been in the merc business for a long time, he knew it was always best to come to a party like this prepared for anything. Nightwing said nothing in response to the taunt, but tossed a handful of smoke-grenades his way, causing the villain to cough and hack as it irritated his lungs. "(Hack) Damn you!" cursed the man venomously as he waved the smoke away from his face and fired blindly into the cloud for a moment. "(Gag) Just like the Bat! Always with the cheap tricks, never comin' at me head on! Fight like a man, you damn coward!"

"HAAAAARRRAAAAAAH!" came a shout from within the smoke, causing the mercenary to snap his head in its direction. At that moment, Nightwing's silhouette appeared high in the air above Deadshot's head, bo-staff drawn back and ready to strike. Smirking beneath his mask at the fact that a student of Batman's had made such an amateurish move, the crimson-clad gunman mercilessly opened fire with both Berettas at once. Thanks to the targeting computer in his mask's lenses, each shot hit home. In seconds, the sickening _thud_ of a body hitting the pavement hard was heard.

"Heh, looks like the Bat's little family has a black-sheep... Sorry, _had_ a black-sheep," joked Deadshot darkly as he began to turn his back to the former Boy-Wonder's prone form. However, something caught his eye. Pausing for a moment, he saw that there wasn't a bloody, bullet-ridden body lying on the ground where Nightwing should've landed, but instead a wooden tree trunk with branches on either side like a set of arms. Confused by what he saw, Deadshot was sure he was simply imagining things. However, this proved little more than vain hope, as each of the rounds he had shot at what he'd thought to be Nightwing were gored deep into the bark. Stuck to the solid mass of the wood, blackened by a stray bullet, was a white piece of note paper that read: _Behind you, dip-stick._ "Oh, shi-"

Deadshot would later look back at this moment from a jail-cell and kick himself for making such a stupid mistake, both physically and mentally. Not giving the merc enough time to finish his sentence, Nightwing blindsided the man with a solid right uppercut, the impact alone sending Deadshot's head flying backwards at a painful angle. For a brief second, the merc stumbled backwards a ways as his vision was assaulted an odd, flashing array of colors and spots, but he managed to regain his composure and came at the vigilante again, both barrels blazing like a fireworks display. Though his head was still swimming from the hit, he trusted his equipment totally, and sent every round he had at the boy.

Swiftly brandishing his Bo, Nightwing spun the staff as fast as he could, effortlessly deflecting each bullet with its rotation as he pressed forward. The barely audible _click_ of emptied chambers echoing in his highly trained ears told the vigilante his opponent's weapons had reached the end of their chambers. Unfortunately, Deadshot got the message as well, and the Berettas were hastily tossed aside as he was confident that the boy would be on him before he could reload and opted for hand to hand combat instead. As Nightwing closed the gap between them, the merc crouched low and attempted to knock the Dark Knight's apprentice on his ass with a sweep kick, hoping to get a few lucky shots in while he was on the ground, dazed. Regretfully for Deadshot, Dick leapt over killer's leg at the last possible second with expert timing, and decided to generously give the man's already reeling brain a short taste of where he'd walked for the past few days.

_**Thok!**_ Needless to say, Deadshot wouldn't be waking up from that for a long time.

"The thing about those 'cheap tricks,' Deadshot," said Nightwing with a slight smirk and a serious tone as the crimson mercenary fell to the ground, the boy's words echoing in his mind as he lapsed into unconsciousness. "Scum like you always fall for them. That's why they always work."

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_'Damn! 'Shot's already down!'_ swore Cheetah silently as she shifted focus off her own bout with the former Beast-Boy for a moment to check on her temporary partner's progress. She'd expected the mercenary to have trouble with the Bat's brat, what with that pre-emptive strike the Titan had gotten in, but she never thought he'd go down so easily. Deadshot was the best gun-for-hire she knew, a real pro at putting people in the ground, and yet a _kid_ had taken him down without so much as a bullet grazing his arm! _'When the hell did these brats get so good?'_

"Pardon me, my pretty kitty, but our dance is over _here_," cackled Changeling humorously from the top of a large piece of concrete rubble, hunched over an all fours like a jungle cat as he watched her squirm under the pressure of losing a comrade this early in the fight. Catching a glimpse of Nightwing as their 'fearless leader' sprinted off to aid Starfire with her opponent, Gar gave his good buddy a mock salute to honor yet another find defeat he'd inflicted on a hapless villain, the stoic demeanor of Dick Grayson slipping for a moment to return the gesture with a smirk before returning to the task at hand.

"Oh, you kiddos think you're so smart, don'cha?" snarled Barbara angrily as she bared her fangs at the green-skinned hero, drawing his attention once more, but doing little to scare that damn grin off his face. "Well, I've got a secret for you, little Titan, you aren't the only ones who've learned a few new tricks!"

Suddenly, Cheetah's form began to glow white and blurred slightly, the wild, hungry look in her eyes mirroring that of Cyborg's when he'd been infected by that virus when the Titans were younger. As Changeling looked on in dumbstruck awe, Barbara took a moment to revel in wiping that smug grin from his face, her tail lashing about in obvious glee, though at this point it was a mere flicker of motion to the hero, as though the appendage were flitting in and out of existence. Before Gar had a chance to ponder this bizarre occurrence any further, a pair of wickedly clawed feet planted themselves firmly on his handsome green face and shoved, his back meeting the pavement a fraction of a second later.

_**BAM!**_

Before he even had a chance to bounce from the impact, Cheetah was on him, claws raking his chest with incredible speed as she batted him into a nearby telephone pole. Luckily though, this time he managed to catch himself, morphing into a great gorilla mid-flight and arresting his backward trip to a busted back by latching onto the metal bar and swinging from it like a gymnast on a trapeze. The moment his feet hit the ground, they became hooves, a massive, North American Bison charging head-on at the furry villainess. In a blur of spots and fur, she nimbly sidestepped the assault, laughing like a maniac as he skidded to a stop and returned to human form.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! You think all that time I spent in _**Iron Heights **_was wasted on 'rehabilitation?' HA! I actually had a lot more fun learning how to make sure your speedy little friend from the League never got the jump on me. And I had such a good teacher too." Remembering her mentor in the ways of the Speed Force, Barbara's eyes got a hungry look about them, a pleasurable, throaty purr escaping her lips at the delicious memories. "Solomon was always more than a teacher thou-"

"UGH! Stop, please, I'm gonna have nightmares as it is!" joked Gar as he mockingly covered his poor, elfin ears to try and block out the nasty images, earning him more of Cheetah's wrath at the same time, just as he planned. Pretending to be oblivious to her growling, he continued to pester and tease her about what she'd just told him, knowing it would aggravate her and cloud her judgment so that she would lose her cool and give him an opening to exploit. "I don't need to imagine what you and the "Vibro-Man" were doing in jail, I'm already sick enough as it is. I mean, you and the Reverse Flash? Please, I just ate."

"Do you ever SHUT UP?" bellowed the were-cat angrily as she rocketed towards him at break-neck speeds, fist cocked back to hit the shapeshifter's jaw with enough force to separate it from his head. However, that wasn't her best idea of the evening. As soon as she came at him, Gar changed forms again, but this time into something far more sinister than his previous transformations.

Bones began to crack and reform, some appearing out of thin air, whilst others seemed to vanish as the former Beast-Boy snarled savagely. Excess mass, fat, and muscle tissue began to pile onto his new form, causing him to bulk out and grow to near gigantic proportions as he fell on all fours, his back legs becoming digitigrades as claws sprouted from his hands and feet and his teeth grew and sharpened into a series of razor-sharp fangs. His head elongated into a snout, eyes becoming slitted like those of a cat as they began to glow red, his forehead sloping back to end in a set of long and sinister horns. A long, twitching tail shot from the base of his spine, thrashing back and forth as a row of spines sprouted from the tip all the way up his back to the crown of his forehead. And finally, a pair of wicked, bat-like wings spread wide from where they had grown on his shoulder-blades, beating a few times to create gusts of wind that nearly knocked Cheetah on her fuzzy ass.

"Wh-What in the Hell are you?" shouted Barbara in panicked shock, skidding to a stop only inches from where Changeling had once been, a massive dragon now sitting there in his place, grinning like a loon.

"**Like you said, Cheetah, we've learned a few tricks,"** taunted Gar in a throaty tone, his voice now deeper from assuming his dragonic form. Drawing himself up to his full height, he slammed himself down with all his weight behind him, succeeding in knocking the speedster on her tail this time, as she was too stunned to do much of anything at the moment. Seizing the opportunity to take advantage of her terror, Changeling sucked in a good breath of air, then bleched forth a sizzling jet of flame from his mouth, tilting his head in a circle so as to entrap the villainess in a ring of roaring fire. No matter what she had learned from the Reverse Flash, her fur wasn't fireproof, and she knew it. She was caught, and by the comic-relief none the less! **"Now then, what's say you and I stay put and watch the fireworks?"**

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**

Watching as he boyfriend curled his massive dragon form around the ring of flames he'd used to capture Cheetah, Raven couldn't help but feel a slight pang of jealousy rising in her gut at the sight. She knew Gar was just doing it to make sure the furred speedster didn't escape, but seeing him with another woman always made her a bit envious. Whether it was casual conversation with one of the honorary Titans that stopped in every once in a while, or a commercial that tastlessly and needlessly displayed a woman in a bikini selling a product that had nothing to do with her attire, Raven would always fight to make sure she was the only girl that the former Beast-Boy was in love with. She knew he would never leave her, but she couldn't help it. It was just part of who she was. Sure, back when they were younger, her emotions were wild and unpredictable, and she probably would have gone ahead with some of the darker thoughts that bounced around in her head, but with time, she had mastered her demonic powers, and her emotions were now at her full disposal. Still, that wasn't to say that it was always a good thing.

'_I really need to think about getting counciling or something,' _thought the half-demon mystic as she flew after Silver Banshee, enveloped in the protective energy of her Soul-Self's avian form to block out the woman's sonic scream. Banshee wasn't much of a talker as she was a screamer, so there was little banter to be hand with the ghastly villainess, which was just as well, since banter wasn't really Raven's thing as much as it was the other Titans (though Starfire wasn't much for banter either).

"_**AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_ shrieked the Scottish demoness once more, launching another devastating attack that, if facing a normal opponent, would have aged her foe to dust. However, this was no ordinary human she fought here in the skies over Jump City. She faced another of her kind, another demon that had against all odds and prejudices formed an alliance with the living, with the _humans._ How she hated them, those fleshy sacks of meat and blood that had betrayed her in her past life, that had sent her to Hell suffering. She would destroy them all! And any demon that was fool enough to stand in her way was just another workout for her voice! She would send them back to Hell where they belonged! For this reason, she kept on screaming at Raven, hoping to somehow find a kink in the armor that was her Soul-Self. However, every blast of sound that struck the surface of the hooded heroine's shield simply rippled along its' surface, then dissipated, like she was screaming at a pool of water.

"You want something to scream about, witch?" intoned Raven darkly, showing a rare display of distaste in her voice as she stared down her sister-demon, eyes glowing white hot as she allowed the magic she wielded to flow freely through her body. "I'll give you something to _**really**_ scream about!"

Shifting her body into the Lotus Position, she rested the backs of her wrists on her knees as she sat there suspended in the air with her eyes closed, her mouth moving with incredible speed as she mouthed the words to some ancient incantation in soundless meditation. Though she made no sound, Banshee could almost swear she heard the words of the spell in the back of her mind, though they were being spoken with such speed that she could barely perceive them as more than garbled nonsense. Coming up on the final lines of the rite, Raven's eyes suddenly shot open and she put both of her hands out towards the Banshee, as if to shove her from a distance. As she did so, the black energy of her Soul-Self, drew itself to the spot before her hands, its protective shield dropping to form a miniature ball of condensed mystical power so potent that it surely spelled certain doom for Silver Banshee. Realizing this, the ghostly woman's eyes widened with panic as she ceased her assault and attempted to flee, flying as fast as she could to get away from her enemy. But she was too late.

"_**Aldruon en Lenthranall Losolomirus Nor!"**_shouted Raven righteously, the energy blasting from her hands with incredible force and speed, so much so that it actually pushed her back a few feet, kicking up a small cloud of dust as she did so.

Bearing down on Silver Banshee, the ghost had only a few seconds left to case a glance over her shoulder to see the black wall of energy rushing towards her with fear in her eyes. With remorseless intent, the energy struck her, haloing her form at near skin-tight closeness. Then, suddenly, Silver Banshee began to scream not in attack, but in mind-numbing pain and terror unlike any that had ever been felt by a ghost before her, for she found herself begin drawn in upon herself as a small black hole formed in her abdomen, sucking her into an unknown void. The flames from her hair and the edges of her boots and gloves were swiftly blown out; her undead bones began to crack and contort themselves to painful angles even as some of them shattered into fragments barely bigger than a pebble as she was shoved inch by inch into the beyond. Then, with a sickening _pop!,_ the villainess was drawn forcefully through the vortex and the portal suddenly shut itself, no trace of her existence left behind as the night suddenly became a little bit quieter.

Seeing her work was done, Raven allowed herself to float slowly to the ground, touching down gently as she drew her cloak around her and strode off to find the rest of her team, putting what she had just done behind her, as the memories of the last time she used that particular spell and the dragon of a man she had used it on threatened to rear their ugly heads once more. Still, a joke from Changeling and she would be back to normal, and that alone was cause enough for her to smile.

**

* * *

**

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" roared Starfire powerfully as she barreled towards the waiting form of Atomic Skull at top-speed, hands practically invisible as she tossed salvo after salvo of starbolts at the fire-headed man, each shot hitting their mark dead-center in his chest. His body shuddering with the impact of each blast, Atomic Skull braced himself as he felt himself being pushed back inch by inch, though he still did not falter. He was every bit as durable as Superman, and he wasn't gonna let some lightweight like this no-name alien bitch take him down.

"Come on!" shouted the man-mountain of atomic power in challenge to the Tameranean princess. "Is that all you've got?" Slamming both hands together, he unleashed a blast of atomic fire at Koriand'r, on that he was sure would melt that smug look off her damn face!

Unfortunately for him, the alien princess had been flying since she was a child, and avoiding such assaults like this since she had been able to hold a sword. Dodging this was like dodging a cotton-swab. Barrel-rolling to her right she allowed the stream of fiery energy to pass her by without a second thought, ignoring the searing heat from the blast as it washed over her. She had flown through the coldest reaches of space and withstood blasts of pure radiation from Red Star during training bouts, and even he was more of a human nuke than this bag of wind! With an incredible amount of speed behind her, she slammed into Atomic Skull fists first, knocking him off his feet as she continued to push him back, punching him over and over and over again with all of her strength.

"HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!" Back and forth, back and forth, side to side, side to side, up and down, up and down. Atomic Skull's head flew each of these directions and then some as Kory struck him in the jaw repeatedly with a savagery not unfamiliar to a warrior like herself. Finally, Albert Michaels was fed up with being the Tameranean's punching bag.

"ENOUGH!"

With all the power he had in his body, he unleashed a blast of atomic power from the full of his face, bombarding Starfire with levels of radiation that would have done more than just caused her to get severely sick like it did with lesser levels of exposure. Something of this magnitude was potent enough to melt skin, boil blood, burn through solid steel, and punch a hole in the protective layer of ozone that encompassed the Earth, had Starfire not taken the brunt of the assault. So enveloped by this power was Koriand'r that she seemed to suddenly vanish in the blinding flash of energy, as though it had completely atomized her. This bombardment continued for a good five minutes before Atomic Skull finally began to run out of juice, the brilliance of his radiation dimming until his skull returned to its previous, fiery state. Nearly drained of his power, Michaels sank down to one knee, panting heavily as he tried to regain his energy. In front of him, the spot where Starfire once stood was completely obscured by an ominous veil of smoke, pockets of the stuff glowing eerily with enough radioactive energy to make a Geiger counter go crazy.

"Heh, heh, how's that, hot enough for ya, bitch?" raved Atomic Skull in prideful exasperation. "No snappy comebacks, now, hu-ERK!"

Sadly for Albert, that was all the former actor could get out before his premature gloating was abruptly and painfully cut off by the startling appearance of an orange-skinned hand, which shot forth from within the cloud with astonishing speed and seized him by the throat, promptly lifting him off his feet. As the smoke began to clear dramatically, the onlooking heroes and captured villains could see the now familiar form of Starfire, standing tall and proud amidst the charred remains of pavement and masonry that lay at her feet, small wisps of steam rising from her exposed flesh as she smirked menacingly at her captive foe.

"What was that, a tanning booth, a summer breeze?" prodded the alien princess tauntingly, her eyes glowing with intense stellar energy as she tightened her grip on Atomic Skull's throat, causing a weak squeal of pain to escape his parted, non-existent lips as he felt his trachea being crushed. "I've flown through the coldest depths of space, swam through the darkest fathoms of your oceans, weathered bullet and bomb, stopped laser-blasts with my bare skin, sparred one on one with a living nuclear reactor five-times your mettle, and come close enough to the devil himself to see what hatred seethed in his gaze. To me, you are but a minute candle-flame." Deciding that she'd made her point, Koriand'r drew back her fist threateningly, cracking her knuckles audibly as she prepared to let fly the mother of all punches. "Fools like you who think the Kryptonian is the only one to fear would do well to learn from your experience here. To cross the princess of Tameran is to dig one's own grave."

With that, Star dropped into a combat-stance, twisting her body slightly so that both her arms were in line with her shoulders. In one, massive, powerful swing, she brought her fist to bear, and just before it connected, the Titans heard her shout the declaration that they had come to know as her own personal catchphrase and battle-cry since making her heritage known to the world.

"KNOW YOUR PLACE!"

_**KRA-THOOOOOOOM!**_

**

* * *

**

Vibrations like unto that of a sonic-boom thundering through the air, Cyborg and Metallo could only stop their own battle and look on in amazement as they watched the already unconscious form of Atomic Skull sail limply through the air, head slack in the throes of pain-induced slumber as he continued to climb into skyward. Metallo couldn't believe what he was seeing, his most powerful player, a man capable of going toe-to-toe with the Man of Steel, bested in combat by a mere girl! A pathetic excuse for a sidekick, not fit to brush shoulders with the likes of his enemies! Impossible! This entire outcome was nothing short of impossible! These children were light-weights, B-listers, people who barely registered a blip on the radar of the most powerful villains on the planet, a number of whom he had brought with him, and they still managed to take them down, foes that gave the League themselves a run for their money.

"Unacceptable," muttered the mechanical menace under his breath as he cranked up his Kryptonite-battery to full blast and brought it to bear against Cyborg, the radiance of the green-gem catching the Titan's attention long enough for him to sense the oncoming danger. "UNACCEPTABLE!" shrieked Metallo in a rage, unleashing a burst of pure energy upon the young man that could have felled Superman himself, maybe even killed him. Like Starfire before him, Cyborg was swallowed up by the light for a moment…

Only to appear a moment later as Metallo's blast lost is power, his own cybernetics now a shade of ebony as black as the night that surrounded the battle-field, glinting brilliantly in the dim-lighting. As he watched the awestruck John Corbin pant in the wake of nearly draining his battery, Cyborg willed his programming to dispel the countermeasures it had put into play, and his metal-shell slowly returned to its normal shade of purest ivory, much to the confusion of Metallo. His instruments detecting the circuitry of his friends' com-links in-bound, Vic knew the fight was just about done.

"H-how…" stammered Metallo as he activated his cybernetics' reserve power, just enough to give him the strength to stand and try to finish this.

"Radiation-shields," explained Vic with a grin, the shifting of the winds telling him that his friends were gathering around him. He didn't have to look to know the formation, he just knew. "The best the Stone Foundation can buy." In the back of his mind, he made a little note to thank his dad for that little feature the next time he swung by home for the holidays.

To his right and left, Starfire and Raven hovered a few feet off the ground, Rae brandishing her mystic energies as Star let the power of her starbolts flow up to full power, both ladies eyes glowing with a menacing air. A sudden weight on his right shoulder told him that Changeling had taken up his usual spot there, hanging off his towering frame by one arm like a monkey on a jungle-gym, having left Cheetah to the proper authorities, who were now arriving on the scene if his instruments were right, and they always were. The swift gust of wind that rushed over them signaled the arrival of the Flash, the air around Wally bristling with energy as arcs of blue lightning from the Speed Force flickered across the similar patterns on his costume. A blur of motion in front of the group announced Nightwing's entry into the formation, the acrobat landing in a crouch with his arms spread wide dramatically, eyes narrowed at their opponent.

"What happened to Killer Frost?" questioned the crime-fighter as he rose to his feet, eyes never leaving the panicked and enraged Metallo. When Flash had shown up, the crazed snow-queen was nowhere to be seen, causing some concern for the Titan's leader.

"Sorry, 'Wing," replied Wally sincerely, "she iced a crowd of civilians while I was in pursuit, said if I didn't thaw 'em in eleven minutes they'd be on ice permanently. So, I had no choice but to stay behind and unfreeze them."

"You did good, Flash," Nightwing commended, readying his staff as the others got into position as well. "Civilian safety is always top priority. We'll get her, just as soon as we put Metallo here through the compacter."

"Ha," laughed Corbin smugly, readying his chest-cavity for another blast, this time, electing to nuke them all at once and be done with it. "You think you'll be able to intercept Killer Frost, _and_ take me down? I don't think so, _boy_." He stressed the last word greatly, almost putting a sneer to it. "Even if you do succeed in bringing me in, 'Frost will be at Zandia's shores before you can even marshal a search party, it's a big ocean after all. Face it, children, we've won."

"Don't be so sure, Chrome-dome." Flash grinned satisfactory as he dropped his hand from the earpiece he'd been using a second ago. "The League's already on 'Frost's tail. By the time we're finished here, Aquaman will have her wrapped up and ready to deliver to her nice warm cell on Alcatraz."

"And if he doesn't then Tempest should," Cyborg chimed in, having just gotten off the line with the former Aqualad via an internal satellite-uplink. "He's already en route from Steel City, and will be here in under thirty minutes with the right current."

"It's over, Metallo," Nightwing growled menacingly, with a hint of triumph in his voice as he spoke. Before him, Corbin was practically seething with rage, his eyes wide in anger as his chest-cavity burned with an equally hot intensity, the Kryptonite battery powering him pushed to its limits as he planned to put every ounce of power he had into one last shot.

"Not until I see you all burn, fool!" roared the cyborg wrathfully as the steady hum of his electronics could be heard over the crackling fires that were just now being put out. "I refuse to lose to low-life trash like you!"

"Titans, take 'em down!" shouted Nightwing in a commanding voice, reminding Flash eerily of Batman for a moment as he and the other Titans moved with Dick's order and put all of their most powerful attacks into play.

Flash peppered Metallo's cybernetic body with a hail of punches, each packing an incredible velocity behind them as they pushed him back.

Changeling followed suit by swiftly transforming into his hulking Man-Beast form, darting this way and that around the steel-skinned villain as his claws raked across his flesh, severing circuitry and mutilating microchips.

Raven joined her paramour's assault with powerful display of telekinesis, forcefully ripping a boulder the size of a semi-truck from the pavement and then slamming it into Corbin at 44 mph.

Cyborg cut loose with a full-power blast from his sonic cannon, creating a wave of concussive energy as he cut the boulder to pieces and hit Metallo square in the chest, jarring his Kryptonite heart.

Starfire let out a thundering war-cry as she unleashed a seemingly endless salvo of starbolts on the metal menace, an onslaught of explosive power raining down on him with frightening wrath as she finished up her bombardment with a burst of cosmic energy from her eyes that knocked him on his shiny metal ass.

"HURRRAAAAAH!" shouted Nightwing as he descended from his leap into the air, his staff poised over his head like a spear as he fell, the image of some ancient hero about to slay some ferocious beast. His aim was true, and he drove the tip of his bo-staff deep into Metallo's Kryptonite heart on impact, the green rock splitting in to with the force of the blow. In a sudden burst of light, the rock shattered into a thousand fragments, flying off in all directions as Corbin's body came to a halt, frozen stiff on the ground as his mind still functioned, unable to obey his commands.

"NOOOooooo-!" shouted Metallo in defeat, his back-up power starting to fail him as his body automatically went into recharge mode as an act of self-preservation, the burning eyes of hatred that glared daggers at the Titans now slowly shutting as the light dimmed within them. And then, his vision simply went black, as did his eyes, almost like miniature television screens.

"Now… It's over," panted Dick in a tired, yet relieved, voice as he raised himself to stand heroically over Metallo's prone form, prying his staff loose from the maniac's mechanical chest before collapsing it and returning it to the holster on his utility belt. As he turned back to regroup with the other Titans, the thunderous roar of an incoming aircraft could be heard. Hypersonic-transport by the sound of the engine, most likely Wayne-Tech, which could only mean one thing: The Justice League was en route. "Heh," chuckled Nightwing in good-spirits as he rejoined his friends, each sporting visible signs of battle, though thankfully alive, "Hell of a birthday party, huh?"

"Yeah, dude," smiled Changeling, scratching his head sheepishly as it dawned on him that they'd left right in the middle of preparing for their fearless leader's party. "And the cake's still waitin' back at the Tower."

"Hey," Flash chimed in as he slid an arm over both Gar and Cyborg's shoulders, "we've wrapped things up here, the League'll be landing in a couple of minutes, and the bad-guys are already being rounded up by the JCPD even as we speak. Why don't we see about getting the birthday boy here back to his celebration, huh? The League can play catch up if they wanna talk that badly."

"For once, we agree on something," Raven concurred with a rare smile.

"Besides," added Flash as they walked off towards Titans Tower, or at least to where the team had parked the T-Ship and Nightwing's cruiser, so they could get back to the Tower, "we still have to talk about that offer I made you guys earlier." Now, this caught the attention of the Titans, each turning their heads in the direction of the Scarlet Speedster as he grinned at them sincerely. He knew what they were thinking, and though he'd been a practical-joker (and still was to a degree), they could tell by the look in his eyes that he was dead serious about this. "Trust me, guys, with the show you put on here tonight, I'd say you aced that little 'final exam' of yours."

"Wallace," began Koriand'r hesitantly, not sure what to make of the Flash's offer, excitement and concern jumbling about in her brain as she considered what he was saying, "are you certain?"

"Listen, guys, after the thing with Darksied a couple months ago, the League's been short-handed as it is," explained Wally as they walked, the others listening intently as Nightwing took it all in with a calculating gaze. "With all that's been happening, we've been stretched to the limits, and Supes and the others know that if something like that were to happen right now, we wouldn't have enough man-power to stop another invasion that magnitude. We may have grown our ranks, but we can't be everywhere. That's why we decided it's time to bring you guys, and a lot of other teams who missed the call, into the fold. You guys were the first ones that came to mind when J'onn suggested the idea, and I'm pretty sure everyone agreed with me. Hell, if they didn't then, they do now."

Having said this, Flash paused for a moment, releasing Cy and Gar to stop and address Nightwing directly, the other Titans looking on with rapt interest as the Scarlet Speedster spoke with their fearless leader. For a couple of seconds, neither hero said a word, simply staring at the other, weighting the magnitude of the offer made and the possibilities of what joining the Justice League would mean, not just for them as a team, but for the world as a whole. Finally, the silence was broken, as Flash offered his hand to Nighwing.

"So, what do you say, Rob'," queried the speedster with a grin, jibing at the vigilante with his old nickname, which in turn set Nightwing off as well. Dick couldn't help but smile at that. After all that had happened, after all they had been through, all the battle and arguments, he couldn't help but be pulled back to the good times, when the Titans were younger, and the team was just getting started. He always knew this day would come, that he'd have to outgrow the label of 'Teen Titan' sometime soon, and now that it was here, all he could do was hold onto those memories and take them with him. Without any further hesitation, he took Flash's hand and shook it firmly, a resounding cheer from his fellow Titans echoing in his ears.

"I say, the League had better be ready for us."

**

* * *

**

AN: Alright, the Titans are movin' up, baby! The JLU had better be ready for them, because their style isn't anything like the old soldiers in the League are used to. But wait, what about that mystic talk Dr. Fate was spouting in the first chapter? Could it be there is still more to this story to be told? The only way to know for sure is to read on and find out.

Oh, for those of you who were interested, yes, Cheetah does know how to tap into the Speed Force. And, yes, she did learn it from The Reverse Flash (aka, Professor Zoom, aka, Hunter Zolomon). This fact I took directly from her comic-book incarnation, all to make sure that the Titans didn't have things too easy. Also, the spell that Raven used to banish Silver Banshee was the same incantation that she used to seal away Malchior of Nol in his spellbook in the episode, _"Spellbound."_


	4. Epilogue

Brave New Future.

By Erik Howlett.

Disclaimer: The Teen Titans and the heroes of the DC Animated Universe, such as the Justice League, belong to DC Comics and DC Entertainment. I do not claim any elements of DC Comics as my own, and am only writing this story as a leisurely past time and because I am a humble fan of this genre simply telling a story. Some of the Legionnaires featured here are a mixture of their comic-book and animated incarnations, hence the different pairings, codenames, costume designs, and so on. This story will be labeled "T"for teen, just to be safe, considering there will be swearing, blood, and intense action-violence, everything that makes T.V. great, am I right?

""The time has come," The Walrus said, "To talk of many things.""

And the Future is one of them. Now, the battle has come full circle. Nightwing has accepted the League's offer to join them, and now the festivities of his birthday can begin. But, with the promise of a new alliance between the Titans and the League, comes a myriad of questions. Where will they be stationed now? Will they be allowed to operate as a splinter-group that still reports to the League, or be separated? If they are to leave Jump City to establish themselves in a new metropolis, who will fill the void in their absence? And what does this all have to do with the prophesy mentioned by Dr. Fate in the first chapter? All these questions and more will be answered as this fan fiction, a prelude to the main event, comes to a close, making way for the true story to be told...

* * *

**Epilogue; Prelude To A Brave New Future...**

_Salem, Massachusetts, 8:00 pm the day following the Titans' indictment into the League._

Kent Nelson, known the world over as the enigmatic sorcerer, Dr. Fate, sat silently in the sanctity of his Tower's library, his mind abuzz with the events of the past day. The moment he heard the alert come over the Monitor Womb in the Watchtower, seen the path the villains would take in their attempts to escape, and bore witness to Nightwing's tenacity and valor as he spoke with the core members of the Justice League with such passion and courage, he knew that the time was at hand. He remembered the first time he had seen the prophecy of the Endless, how it came to him in a dream one night after he had finally fallen asleep, cradling his beloved Inza passionately in his arms. It was in this dream that he came face to face with he whom his master spoke of so often, the ruler of that realm, and the oldest of beings in the universe, save the Presence himself. He remembered the awestruck wonder and mind-numbing horror that washed over him as he heard the prophecy in full, the things it detailed, both terrible and wondrous, of the world that would come to be following the ascension of the Titans into the Justice League. It both amazed and frightened him, and yet, it gave him hope for the future, for he knew that all was to come to pass as it was meant.

Such was the will of Destiny.

Silent, soft footfalls echoed behind him, a faint breeze rustling through the air and causing the candles to flicker about upon their pedestals throughout the library's endless platforms and corridors. Inza. He needn't look for her to know his wife, he always knew it was her. The scent of lilacs that wafted from her perfume, the steadfast stride in her gait, the warm softness of her skin, the fluttering of her hair through the heavy air, the subtle presence of magic about her that was so uniquely hers. She was intoxicating, she was beautiful, she was powerful, she was strong, she was intelligent.

And she was all his. In all of his life, whatever reincarnations he may experience or whichever afterlife he may end up in, whenever she was near to him, Kent was in paradise.

"My love," said Inza softly, in a voice life that of a gentle dove as she came up behind him, cradling the last artifact required for the ritual he was about to perform in her arms, eyes soothing to his gaze as he looked up into them. Pools of lavender that he wished he could be lost in forever. Of all the magic in the world, he found none greater, none more powerful, none more strong than that of his love for his wife.

"Thank you, Inza," replied Kent as he carefully took the icon from her soft hands and placed it in its proper place along the edge of the summoning circle in the center of the library, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the plith as he steadied himself for what he was about to do. Knowing his wife far better than anyone else he had ever met, Dr. Fate gestured for her to join him in the circle, having realized long ago that his powers were strongest when he was with her, and her own stubborn nature wouldn't let him try something as dangerous as this spell was without her there to aid him and to witness this new rite with child-like wonder, as she did with all magicks. "Come, sit. Let us perform this ritual as one, I know you wish to see Lady Teleute anyhow."

"As always, Kent, you know me far too well," chuckled Inza happily as she stepped up to the plith and sat back to back with her paramour, leaning her head back against his as she felt the closeness between them grow even stronger. For a moment, both magicians simply sat there in silence, enjoying the quiet of the library and the other's presence. Then, something clicked in Inza's mind, and she spoke up. "Kent."

"Yes, my love," replied Dr. Fate calmly.

"What was their reaction, to the prophecy, I mean." Inza had been curious to know how both the League and the Titans had taken the news. Not everyone reacts the same to the news that the fate of the universe as the know it rests in the hands of six strangers meant to replace the former Teen Titans as they moved on to join the Justice League as just, "The Titans."

"Oh, I'd say they took it rather well, all things considered," replied the Master of Magic nonchalantly, remembering how the two super-teams had reacted to the news only hours ago…

* * *

_Titans Tower, Jump City Harbor, 7 hours ealier._

"…," was about the right reaction all around as Fate delivered the news of the prophecy to those gathered in Titans Tower, both to commend the Titans on their victory and to celebrate Nightwing's birthday.

At the beginning, things were incredibly festive as congratulations were exchanged, presents were passed out, goodies were served, and laughs were shared by all. Starfire, Wonder Woman, and Hawkgirl, all three having come from a warrior society, had been pleasantly discussing their people's cultures and ways of waging war. From what Diana observed, Starfire would be an excellent addition to the Justice League, her skill in battle and her tactical genius nearly rivaling that of her own. Cyborg had struck up a conversation with Mr. Terrific, either hero relaying the technologies either team had to offer the other as they would be working as one in the future. Needless to say, Terrific was impressed by Victor's mastery of alien technology, and was eager to put some of the Titans' gear to use when they joined the League. Changeling and Flash were sharing a few laughs with one another, while taking time for Gar to impress Green Lantern with some tales of his time with the Doom Patrol and some of the more difficult battles the Titans had fought over the years. At first glance, John had taken Changeling for just another practical-joker like Flash, but after hearing some of the shapeshifter's tales, the darkness he had faced and had overcome, the Lantern couldn't help but see him in a different light. Raven, while staying near her husband to bail him out if he started into one of his corny jokes that no one really liked, had found a partner in conversation with J'onn. Both were outcasts on the human plane that had found friends in the superhuman community, so both had much to talk about.

However, the most heartwarming of moments was when Batman took Nightwing aside for a moment to speak with him privately. Kent didn't have to have superhuman hearing to know what was going on, and he smiled under his helmet at what he managed to catch from across the room. Batman, the stoic, brooding loner, put his hands on Richard's shoulders, and told him in a firm, compassionate voice, like a father to his son, how incredibly proud of him he was, and how amazed he was of the man he had become. It was no surprise to anyone when Nightwing immediately teared up and threw his arms around his adopted father in a heart-felt hug, Batman stiffening in surprise for a moment before relaxing and returning the embrace.

And so, after the cake had been cut, presents passed on to the birthday boy, and rousing rendition of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" sung in honor of Nightwing himself, they came to this, with Dr. Fate giving them a small picture of the future the way he had seen it in his dream. Needless to say, it was something of a mood-killer, but, no surprise, both teams took it in stride, having faced doomsday-level threats in the past and surmounting them completely.

"So, you're telling us that there's some new evil coming to our world, unlike anything we've ever faced before, and that we'll never be able to defeat on our own, but that these six heroes will?" Superman summarized questionably, having worked with Kent in the past and knowing all too well how most of his prophecies came to pass, but still feeling skeptical about it because of one crucial element. "That's a little hard to swallow, Kent, even for you."

"Yeah, Fate, maybe you just ate something you shouldn't before going to bed that night or somethin'," reasoned Flash through muffled tones as he snacked on yet another bag of potato-chips from the table. Somehow, Changeling couldn't help but see the irony in Flash's statement as he stuffed his face.

"Still, we shouldn't take this warning for granted, Clark," Batman remarked logically, not leaving anything to chance, especially since he couldn't shake the feeling that something ominous was looming on the horizon as the world began to settle after Darksied's apparent demise. Something didn't fit right with him after seeing those to suddenly disintegrate like that after finally claiming the Anti-Life Equation; it seemed like too easy a victory for the League. And now that he heard Kent's prophecy, his fears had been all but affirmed, though thankfully there was a way to stop this as well. "Fate, you said that these strangers, they'll have to take the place of a 'departing generation of heroes,' does that mean-"

"Yes, the ascension of the current Titans into the ranks of the Justice League is in line with the perimeters of the prophecy, though vague it may be." Dr. Fate sighed deeply as he cast a glance out the window of Titans Tower over the twilight skyline of Jump City, wishing that the prophecy he'd received from Lord Dream was more clear than what had been given. Still, the Lords of Order worked in mysterious ways, and the King of All-Nights-Dreaming was the wisest of them all. If anything, he knew what he was doing when it came to the fate of all humanity, whom he loved and cared for so deeply. "Now that the Titans are moving into the League, there will need to be someone to watch over Jump City in their absence, a new generation of young heroes, and these six strangers to our reality are it."

"Well, that takes care of my worries over who's gonna protect Jump City with us gone," admitted Nightwing thankfully, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke. With him and the team moving out of the Tower and into their new digs in the San Francisco Embassy up the coast, he'd been a little concerned about what would happen to Jump City with them out of the picture. Sure, they were only a call away, but with them gone, word would spread to some of the worst of their rogues gallery, and the villains would have a field-day. Now that this fear was alleviated, Nightwing felt a lot better about moving away from their former home-base and into the new Tower. "Whatever you need us to do to make the Tower more comfortable a home for these kids, will do it."

"I will be sure to let you know, Richard," replied Kent sincerely, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder firmly as a show of good faith. Turning to the rest of the gathered members of the League and the former Teen Titans, he gave them a deep bow of respect, sweeping his cape before him dramatically before rising into the air. With a simple turn of his hand, the window behind him seemingly disintegrated into a fine mist as he slid silently through the air into the open night-sky. "I will confer with the Lords of Order at my Tower in Salem, to learn more about this prophecy. I promise you, when I return, I will pass on what I know." Not one to be a continual mood-killer, Fate cast the mental image of his smiling visage onto the glass of the Tower window as he left and it reassembled in his wake. "Now, enjoy the festivities, my friends, and know that all will be well."

And with that, Dr. Fate abruptly vanished into the night.

* * *

Inza laughed upon seeing Kent's memories flow past her eyes telepathically, a bubbling, sweet song to his ears. "Always one for the dramatic exit, eh, Kent?"

"Heh, yes, I've been meaning to correct that little habit," admitted Dr. Fate in embarrassment, smiling beneath his helmet at his wife's laughter. Knowing that time was of the essence, he reined in his emotions, a reaction that Inza sensed immediately and followed his example, centering her thoughts on the task before them: the Rite of Endless Council, a spell of summoning so powerful and so deadly, it took the most talented of magicians to perform it, let alone control it. What they were attempting now was suicide for an amateur, a threat for sorcerers of their level, but something they needed to do now to make sense of the prophecy that was given to Kent. "Now then, Inza, my beloved, let us begin."

Seated around them on their own special pliths about the summoning circle were the artifacts required to perform the Rite, each a rarity to this plane of existence, gleaned from both sorcerers' trips around the netherworld, and placed in Fate's Tower for just such an endeavor. As she had entered the room only moments earlier, Inza had recognized each artifact, an icon of power for seven beings far older than even time itself: a bottle of some unknown grey mist that had been uncapped to allow its contents to be freed, now filling the whole of the library; a cruel, barbed hook that was stained with rust-colored blood; a silver _ankh_ talisman that shimmered in the dim light; a Scottish claymore blade, wickedly sharp on its edge; a heart that was made from finely cut glass, glistening in the light; a energized swirl of colors, each as unique as the rainbow that shifted every other second as it hovered soundlessly above the ground; and finally, an exquisite painting that depicted a beautiful garden of winding paths. As the mystic energy in the air began to thicken and weight down on them heavily, as though there were an ocean above the sky, Dr. Fate began the incantation.

"_I call upon those who are both immortal and deceased, upon those thought idea and shadow, upon those who are both fleeting as the stars and as eternal as the Presence Himself. I ask that you would attend us now, and aid us in our darkest hour. By the ever shifting mist that shapes our thoughts, by the rainbow swirl that spins unto madness, by the __ankh__ that guides our eternity, by the blade that devastates those in need of destruction, by the blood-stained hook that renders sorrow, by the clear-cut heart that holds no lie, and by the portrait of the paths ever changing, I call you. Come! Impart upon us your knowledge and your sage council. Come! Show us the path to victory over our foes. Come! Let us find Justice!"_

Suddenly, an almost divine wind swept through the room, powerful enough to send Fate's cape snapping about like a sail in a typhoon. Caught by the gale, the mist from the bottle quickly began to enveloped the room even further, obscuring any visibility like unto being lost in a thick fog. Everything outside the circle was shrouded by the mist, invisible and clouded from sight. As if on cue from some unforeseen force, the artifacts suddenly erupted into seven columns of light, stretching high into the veil of the mist and continuing on for miles above, just out of view before vanishing into nothingness. Then, silence. The minutes seemed to crawl by for husband and wife, the quiet nerve-wracking as they waited in the mists. After what seemed like an eternity, a voice finally broke through the barrier of cold noiselessness. It was resonant and deep, seeming to make the couple's very bones vibrate even as the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end.

"Hm, you truly are Nabu's student, aren't you Kent Nelson?" questioned the voice knowingly, causing the two magicians to turn in its direction as they literally leapt to their feet. Before them stood a tall figure clad in long black robes with long, unkempt hair the shade of midnight, his skin as pale as the winter-moon and eyes like pools of darkness dotted with stars that drew them in. "Showy and authoritative in your spell-casting, yet you have a good heart and are dedicated to ensuring the balance of this world and the next." Saying this, a well-meaning smile played itself on the man's lips. "Your mentor would be very proud of you."

"Thank you for your flattery, Lord Dream," replied Kent earnestly, prostrating himself before the most well-known of the Endless respectfully. "And thank you for the gift of your prophecy, I know it will be for the betterment of our world."

"Oh come now, no need to be so formal, Kent," said Dream in a friendly tone, waving away the gesture as thought it was too constant and overdone, causing Kent to relax a bit. "And, just 'Morpheus' will do."

"Yeah, can't let my big bro get a big head now, okay?" said another voice to the right of Dream, this one more effeminate and youthful, with a bubbly quality to it. From the confines of the mist appeared a young girl, who looked as though she was in her mid-teens, dressed in a black tank-top, mini-skirt, jacket, and fishnet gloves with fishnet stockings over her otherwise bare feet. She had multi-colored hair that was short and wild, and heterochromatic eyes, one green and one blue. As she approached them, she tilted her head to one side, as though in curiosity. Smiling at them, she gave them a short, friendly wave that caused a small flock of lime-green and purple butterflies to pop into existence in its wake, circling her head for a moment before vanishing. "Ooh, did you see that, Dream? I love flutter-byes."

"Yes, Delirium, they were very pretty," said Dream, humoring the girl as he patted her on the head, causing her to squeak in delight.

"Stop spoiling her, brother," said new voice, one that sounded both male and female at the same time. Turning their heads, Kent and Inza saw someone that looked to be neither male nor female coming towards them from the mists. This individual had a slender build and delicate features like the finest porcelain, but had raven-cropped hair and wore very masculine clothing. Another thing was the stranger's entrancing golden eyes, which seemed to mesmerize them. "If you don't, she'll never learn anything now, will she?"

"Oh, get over it, Desire," snapped the next Endless who came from the mist, this one a young woman in her early to mid-twenties. Like the rest, her skin was pale and she had long, black hair like her brother and sister-brother, but she wore clothing that was very gothic in nature. Her attire consisted of a spaghetti-strap shirt, leather jacket, black jeans that hugged the curve of her hips in an attractive manner, boots, fingerless gloves, and a silver _ankh_ necklace. Another interesting feature was the eyeliner she'd applied to her left eye, which made it look akin to that of the _wadjet_ eye, the all-seeing eye of Egyptian mythos. "She's still a kid, give her some slack why don't you?" Ignoring Desire's wrathful gaze as Delirium stuck her tongue out at her sister-brother, the woman turned to Kent and Inza to introduce herself. "Nice to see you again, Kent, Inza."

"It is good to see you too, Lady Teleute," greeted Inza with a smile.

"Please, Inza," laughed the young Endless good-naturedly, "I told you before, it's okay to call me by my real name. Death is what I am, and Death is all I will be."

"_**Can we get on with this,"**_ growled a scratchy voice from behind Kent, startling him to the point where he actually jumped a bit and snapped his head around to see the new arrival. Before him was a squat, short woman, hair unruly as she hunched over naked like some kind of animal, her eyes dull and lifeless and her skin the gaunt color of a corpse. On one finger, she wore a ring that looked as though it had been tarnished with blood for centuries, and attached to it was a barb like a fishhook. With a hungry sound, she slowly moved towards Dr. Fate, extending her ring hand to him as she spoke through jagged teeth with a voice that was hoarse as though she had spent hours screaming or crying in agony. _**"I have work to do, you know."**_

"Calm yourself, Despair," commanded a strong, raspy voice, reigning in the frightening Endless as its master appeared. The more simply attired of the group, the man that stood before his brothers and sisters was garbed in a purple hooded-cloak, his eyes covered with a blindfold. About his arm was a heavy iron shackle, and attached to it was a long chain, linking him to an incredibly thick book whose pages were old and worn. "There will be more time to spread your anguish later, believe me. But for now, we have business to attend to." Abruptly, he turned his blind eyes to Kent for a moment, his very gaze sending am eerie chill of terror up the sorcerer's spine as the future itself looked him in the eyes. "And forgive his rudeness, but as you observed, Destruction has resigned from his duties for the time being due to personal conflicts. Rest assured though, he shall return to them. Now, you have summoned us here to speak of the crisis looming o'er your world, yes?"

"Yes, Lord Destiny," answered Fate truthfully, leery of the aged Endless as he continued to stare at him with his unseeing gaze. "The prophecy given to me in my dreams by Morpheus has begun to realize itself, as the Teen Titans are now moving on to become a branch of the Justice League. You know very well the whims of the Lords of Order and Chaos, the existence of the Titans in Jump City is critical to the stability and continuing existence of our world, as it was told in the prophecy that the evil to come would enter by way of the city. I have summoned you all here in hopes of learning more about these new heroes you have planned for continuing the legacy of the Teen Titans, so that I may aid the current team in making their home a more comfortable place for their successors."

"Of course, Doctor," replied Destiny stoically, waving his hand dramatically. "As Brother Dream has already told you, 'There will come a day when the guardians of the earth lack in rank, and the next generation will take up the torch and leave the home of their youth to take up a new mission and a new name. In their wake, a great darkness from beyond your world will arise in their old territory, an evil that they and their mentors will have no way of defeating, as it will be unlike any evil present in this realm. However, six neophytes from worlds unlike your own will appear to take up the yoke of the departing generation of heroes, and stand astride this evil's path to victory. It is their example that will lead your world to a brighter tomorrow'." Having said this, he licked his thumb and index finger, then opened his book to an unknown page and began to read. "However, you must know more of who these young heroes are, if you are to help them ease into their roles as the New Teen Titans. They will come to our world from different realms of reality, each with their own unique abilities and backgrounds."

"The hero, whose web has drawn in both friend and foe," said Dream.

"The guardian of two worlds, whose heart holds a power beyond all measured before as she protects the veil between," added Death calmly.

"_**The cyborg knight, whose power comes from within himself, though he cannot find his true self," **_Despair grumbled.

"The angel of night, stone at dawn and warrior by dusk," sighed Desire in a bored tone.

"The medium, to whom the forces of nature and soul do bend," Delirium chimed in with a bubbly giggle in her voice.

"And the intellect, whose skill is only outweighed by her peculiar nature," concluded Destiny.

"Their presence shall inspire and enlighten," said Desire hauntingly. "They will prove vital to past, present, and future generations of heroes."

"They will bring with them the thoughts and ideals of their worlds," intoned Dream thoughtfully. "They shall share many things with your plane of reality, and help to bring understanding and unity for your own heroes in future times of trouble, and bring about a new age of peace and prosperity for your world, changing it for the better."

"There will be chaos in the wake of this event," said Delirium in a bubbly voice, more butterflies taking wing from her hair as she spoke. "Many people won't know what to think of them, or how to move on after all is said and done, kinda like after you lose a buncha files on one of those computo-ma-bobs in a lightning storm."

"Innocents will have a brush with eternity at one point," admitted Death sheepishly, almost as if she felt responsible for this future turn of events. "Though they will survive, it will spark a crisis of faith among many, while strengthening the faith of others."

"_**Gloom and horror will wash over them like a flood at a time during their stay here,"**_ rasped Despair throatily, a jagged smile forming on her face once more. _**"A dark figure from the previous Titans' past shall reappear and attempt to take the strongest of their number as his champion, though he shall be dealt a mighty blow for his troubles."**_

"And in the end, a new dawn shall arise for your world, one that shall carry on though they may splinter and divide, for they shall one day meet again as one," reassured Destiny solemnly, closing his book suddenly with a rush of wind following it. "This has been written, and is now coming to pass. The Presence has willed it, and so it shall be." From the folds of his robe, Destiny produced an aged sheet of paper, its musty scent and dulled color indicating that it may have been a part of his book at some point. With his other hand, he gave Inza what looked to be a strange new artifact, one that was alien, even to the Master of Magic himself. It was a blue, crest-shaped talisman, lined with gold and an emblem of a Phoenix emblazoned on its face. The very air about it crackled and practically blazed with untold and incredible, ancient power.

Without any hint of emotion or hesitation, he walked up to Dr. Fate and placed the parchment in his hands and folded them over it before stepping back to be at the center of his siblings. "In your hands rests the knowledge of each member of these new Teen Titans, their worlds, their lives, their abilities, and their hearts. Use this to help them understand why they have been brought here, and how they will serve your world in the coming crisis. In your wife's hands rests a talisman from beyond your world, _**The Phoenix Gate**_, once thought lost to tumultuous flow of time. Instructions for its use are listed on the parchment, as it will be your means of summoning these young heroes. It may take some time to master its powers fully, as you will need to bring the chosen to this world without disrupting the balance of their own, but I know you will be able to accomplish this feat. Now go, prepare for the arrival of this new generation, and may your journey through this life be a smooth one."

"_**So speaks the Endless, those who govern the whims of all that has and that will exist**__**,"**_said the Endless as one, their voices echoing across the magician couple's ears and consciousness as they stepped back into the mist, disappearing back to their own realms and galleries. All that remained of their presence was the paper that Fate now held in his trembling hands.

'_And so… it begins,'_ thought the Sorcerer Supreme as he stared blankly at the document in his hands, marveling at the terror and wonder it held for his world. _'A brave new future for us all…'_

**

* * *

**

AN: ... Wow. I guess the future of the DCAU is going to be quite an interesting one to say the least. With the Titans moving on to the new Embassy in San Francisco, what will these new heroes be like who will take there place? Where in the multiverse will they come from? What lives do they lead? How will they react to being brought into this world so alien to their own and to the expections that they are the ones to protect it from evil as the New Teen Titans? All these questions and more will be addressed in the fanfiction that continues where this one leaves off, _**Teen Titans: Generation Next.**_ Well, that's all for now, True Believers. If anyone cares to take a stab at the identities of these new Titans, feel free to do so. I enjoy hearing your ideas of who might appear to defend Jump City in the wake of the old guard's departure. Please remember to R & R, keeping in mind that flames will be extinguished, trolls will be flattened by bridges, and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Until next time, True Believers.

-EXCELSIOR!


End file.
